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 enlarge | Author: J. Maarten Troost
Publisher: Broadway
Category: Book
List Price: $12.95
Buy Used: $3.36
You Save: $9.59 (74%)
New (60) Used (72) Collectible (2) from $3.36
Rating:  100 reviews
Sales Rank: 6921
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.2 x 0.8
ISBN: 0767915305
Dewey Decimal Number: 306.099681
EAN: 9780767915304
ASIN: 0767915305
Publication Date: June 8, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Drifting through life September 14, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I read this book on two separate levels: a travelogue by someone for whom life in this part of the world was a complete culture shock, and as a sad reminder of the legacy of colonialism in the Pacific. I enjoyed much of the writing: Mr Troost combines good observational skills with an ability to see humour in much of what he observed. Importantly, Mr Troost can laugh at himself and this is what saves this book from being a self-indulgent memoir.
There are some wonderful anecdotes of life in Kiribati, from the perspective of an American visitor, and some poignant reminders of life and culture prior to colonial exploitation.
The book is worth reading - especially by those who entertain romantic notions about life in the Pacific. For those who seek to understand the people or the politics of the region, other sources will be needed.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
 Hilarious and Poignant August 30, 2007
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
Maarten Troost's The Sex Lives of Cannibals is many things: educational, poignant, unbelievable at times, and always hilarious. Troost tells his tale of moving to a very remote island in the Pacific when his girlfriend accepts an aid job on Kiribati; to say they didn't precisely know what they were getting into is a bit of an understatement. Maarten goes along, planning on writing the world's greatest novel and instead finding out how the twentieth century has dumped on this beautiful atoll, leaving its citizens trying to make lives out of very little and making the incredible the norm. Along the way he experiences pigs on runways, sharks, sailing between islands amid 25 foot swells, native dancing, an abundance of dogs, World War 2 relics, fish to eat everyday, body surfing, and the Macarena.
Troost has a wonderful way with words, and he pulls you in immediately. His style makes you feel as though you're sitting in the room with him as he recounts stories sometimes so fantastic you find yourself not believing them. He intersperses the book with chapters of actual facts about Kiribati, an area of the world that apparently I'm not alone in knowing almost nothing about. I found myself laughing out loud so often at his descriptions that I know I was bothering my husband as he tried to sleep.
This is a relatively short, fun book that is way more than just a memoir or a piece of non-fiction. While it is indeed hilarious, it's also packed with situations that are just unbelievable for the twentieth and twenty first centuries. In the last few chapters, Troost and his girlfriend move back to the States and have trouble readjusting to the fast-paced life, and I'm afraid I'm going to have trouble readjusting to my narrower view of the world since Troost has introduced me to the gorgeous culture of an isolated Pacific island. Give yourself a treat and indulge in this one. Highly recommended!
Fantastic and incredibly realistic July 24, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I grew up on Tarawa in the 1970's when it was still a British Colony and my parents were working out there. This book brought back so many wonderful and horrible memories and is so very true to life. My family still operate a 'bubuti' system amongst ourselves!
I am incredibly saddened that such a beautiful place has become so squalid and rundown. As a child the island was so safe we were allowed to run wild. Crime was so low that theft of a bottle of my father's whisky was the main item on the news for 2 days - and there was no Macarena...
Troost captures the warmth, kindness and humour of the I-Kiribati perfectly. His descriptions of the deprivations - water, electricity and the incredible heat (and no air conditioning) and lack of food are perfect. My mother remembers taking my [...]sister to an UK supermarket on a visit home and her announcing loudly "Look mummy, the ship has come in" at the sight of full shelves!
Best book I've read in ages - hilariously funny and a real eyeopener to anyone who believes that Blue Lagoon is the reality of life on a pacific island.
Paradise Not! July 17, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
If you have ever fantasized about being marooned on an island in the South Pacific read this book; you will be instantly cured.
Written by Maarten Troost, The Sex Lives of Cannibals is a travelogue/memoir/adventure novel. The adventure being how to survive when your most pressing daily need of fresh water is rarely met.
Troost's book tells the story of having to spend two years on Tarawa, an isolated atoll in the equatorial South Pacific. He is there to accompany his girlfriend/fiance who takes a job with the Foundation for the Peoples of the South Pacific. Her mission is to educate and attempt to meet various needs of an isolated tropical culture. His job is to survive the daily onslaught of insects, rats, wild dogs, reef sharks and intestinal parasites.
The book is well written and although not a page turner it is enjoyable for it's prose and interesting historical and anthropologic essays.
Troost makes both the trivial and the solemn funny and interesting with his wit and turn of phrase.
Take it to the beach with a Corona or a Pina Colada for even greater effect!
 Read Honeymoon with my brother June 15, 2007
1 out of 17 found this review helpful
Exaggerated. Overly dramatic. Derived. The author is a pretty awesome guy, just ask him. Right when you start to think that the story is getting interesting the author slides back into a pit of self-absorption. Few notable pieces of entertainment surrounded by a sea of drivel...erroneous facts. Don't write a book using information gleaned from wikipedia. If you are the type of person who 1) keep hamsters as pets, or 2) remains celibate despite no moral conflicts, then this book is for you.
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